Giovanni Soldini and Maserati Sailing Team Poised to Sail from New York Tonight in Attempt to Break Record

Posted on by May 8, 2012

Maserati at North Cove

Giovanni Soldini and the Maserati Sailing Team have announced that they expect to set sail from the North Cove Marina in New York City between 10:00 p.m. this evening and 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning in their attempt to break the monohull sailing record from the Ambrose Lighthouse in New York to Lizard Point off the south west coast of England. From their press release: “They are challenging a record set in 2003 by Robert Miller’s monohull Mary Cha IV – 6 days, 17 hours, 52 minutes and 39 seconds. The 140-foot Mary Cha IV covered the 2,925 miles of the route at an average speed of 18.5 knots with 24 crew on board. Maserati, measuring 70-feet and with 8 crew on board is facing the daunting task of beating the record time of a racing yacht twice as large with three times the manpower. The extensive offshore experience on board Maserati might trump the larger yacht and team if the weather cooperates.”  The team has been waiting a month for suitable weather conditions.
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Archaeologists Claim Odyssey Marine “Plundering” HMS Victory

Posted on by May 8, 2012

Sinking of HMS Victory 1744

The attorneys for Odyssey Marine Exploration have been keeping busy. In February we posted about the end of a multi-year legal battle between Spain and Odyssey Marine Exploration over $500m in gold and silver coins and other artifacts from the wreck of the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes.  Odyssey Marine lost the various court cases and had to return the coins to Spain.  To avoid this sort of problem in the future, Odyssey negotiated an agreement with Great Britain to salvage HMS Victory, which sank in 1744.  (This ship named Victory preceded Nelson’s ship of the same name, which is now a museum ship in Portsmouth, UK.)  Odyssey would receive a percentage of the valuables aboard HMS Victory, including gold coins which may now be worth £500 million.

By negotiating an agreement in advance, everything should go smoothly. Or may be not.  A group of archaeologists, including Lord Renfew of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, are now accusing the British Ministry of Defense of allowing Odyssey to “plunder” the shipwreck and are threatening legal action to stop the salvage.

Archaeologists accuse MoD of allowing US company to ‘plunder’ shipwreck
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Dolphins and Birds Dying on the Coast of Peru – No Clear Answer Why

Posted on by May 8, 2012

Photo: Peru21

Something is terribly wrong on the coast of Peru.  At least 877 dolphins and more than 1,500 birds, most of them brown pelicans and boobies, have died along the coast since February when the government started tracking the deaths. The government says that the deaths of the dolphins and birds are unrelated.  The dolphin deaths have been blamed on the morbillivirus, while the bird deaths are blamed on starvation from a shortage of anchoveta, a fish of the anchovy family.  Reportedly, the recent El Niño has raised coastal water temperatures causing the fish to stay in deeper colder waters beyond the reach of the sea birds.  Now, three months after Peruvian government officials began testing the dead dolphins and pelicans, no definitive results have been released, and there is growing suspicion among the public and scientists that there might be more to the story.

Dead Dolphins and Birds Are Causing Alarm in Peru
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Yachting Magazine’s Crash Test Boat – Rigging a Jury Rig

Posted on by May 7, 2012

Last summer, Yachting Magazine began a monthly series of articles focused on a second-hand 40ft Jeanneau Sun Fizz 40 ketch, which they referred to as their “Crash Test Boat.”   They proceeded to capsize the boat, dismast her, cut holes in her, set her on fire and finally to blow her up. The intent wasn’t doing damage for damage’s sake but to give viewers an idea of what can happen in a dire situation, how to react and potentially how to avoid it.  The episodes are both educational and scarily fun at the same time. After effectively destroying the boat – the LPG explosion did the trick – the “Crash Test Boat” made her final appearance at the London Boat Show in January.  There is even an Crash Test Boat iPad App.

Everything is well documented on the Yachting Magazine Youtube channel.  Here is one of my favorites.  After intentionally dismasting the boat while sailing in winds over 30 knots, they set about to rig a jury rig using materials available onboard.

Yachting Monthly’s Crash Test Boat Jury Rig

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Thanks to Frank Hanavan for pointing out the videos.

The Panama Canal, the Savannah River and the Confederate Ironclad CSS Georgia

Posted on by May 6, 2012

In 1865, the CSS Georgia, a Confederate ironclad battery was burned and sunk in the Savannah River to avoid capture and to obstruct passage on the river.  (The ship was scuttled not far from where the British sank the frigate HMS Rose in 1779 to block the French fleet from sailing up the river to attack the British occupiers.)  The Confederates who wished to block the river succeeded beyond their wildest imaginings. Now a $653 million plan to dredge the river to allow for larger ships to call, following the widening of the Panama Canal, is being complicated by the wreck of the CSS Georgia. The Army Corps of Engineers plans to spend $14 million to raise and preserve what is left of the sunken Confederate ironclad. How much is left to preserve is another question.

Civil War shipwreck creates hurdle for government’s $653M plan
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Solar-Powered MS Turanor PlanetSolar Completes Circumnavigation in 584 Days

Posted on by May 5, 2012

The 98-foot-long solar powered catamaran MS Turanor PlanetSolar returned to Monoco yesterday, completing a 37,286 mile circumnavigation of the globe in 584 days. It is the first circumnavigation under solar power.   Along the way, the Turanor PlanetSolar made stops on six continents to promote solar energy.

While the Turanor PlanetSolar was promoting solar power, another “green energy” vessel, the trimaran  Banque Populaire V, set a new world’s speed record in January, circumnavigating the globe in 45 days, 13 hours, 42 minutes, 53 seconds.

70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea

Posted on by May 5, 2012

Seventy yeas ago, the Japanese and navies of the United States and Australia fought the Battle of the Coral Sea in the waters southwest of the Solomon Islands and eastward from New Guinea in a series of naval battles from May 4-8, 1942.   It was the first of six major carrier battles in the Pacific in World War II and was also the first in which neither side’s ships sighted or fired directly upon the other.  A tactical victory for the Japanese, in the sense that they lost fewer ships, it was a strategic victory for the Allies who succeeded in stopping the Japanese advance for the first time since Pearl Harbor.  The Battle of the Coral Sea also denied the Japanese critical ships and planes that would contribute to its major loss in the Battle of Midway only a month later.

Battle of the Coral Sea, 7-8 May 1942

The Sea Shadow & Hughes Mining Barge – “Invisible Ship” and Spy Barge Sold at Auction

Posted on by May 4, 2012

Sea Shadow

Update: The final auction price for the Sea Shadow and the HMB1 was an impressive $3.2 million.

The Sea Shadow is an experimental 164′ long catamaran “stealth ship” built by Lockheed in the mid 1980s for the United States Navy.  For most of her life, the Sea Shadow has been housed in the 364′ long Hughes Mining Barge (HMB1.)  Now, both the Sea Shadow and the Hughes Mining Barge are being sold for scrap. The Sea Shadow cost close to $200 million to build. There is no public record of the cost of the HMB1 as it was paid for by the CIA on a secret mission to raise a Russian nuclear submarine.  At just under three hours left in the auction, the current highest bid for both vessels together is slightly over $400,000.
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Tall Ship Pelican For Sale

Posted on by May 4, 2012

One of the most beautiful and most interesting tall ship sailing today, at least to my eye, is the three-masted barquentine Pelican.  The Pelican is 148ft long overall, square rigged on the main mast but fore and aft rigged on the fore mast and mizzen, a modern hybrid between a traditional square rig and the mixed square and fore and aft rig of the Barbary coast Xebecs.

The Pelican is also now actively for sale with an asking price of £2,450,000.

Weymouth’s Tall Ship is yours for £2.45m
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Video of Duckboat Being Run Down by Barge Released

Posted on by May 3, 2012

On July 7, 2010, a barge struck the disabled “Duck boat” DUKW 34 at anchor in the Delaware River off Philadelphia.  Of the 35 passengers aboard, two died.  Last November, the tug’s mate was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his role in the collision.  Today, lawyers representing the two victim’s families in a civil wrongful death lawsuit, released a previously unseen video of the collision.  Thanks to Tony Seideman for passing it along.

Video captures shocking moment 240-foot barge struck small tour boat in Philadelphia

Video of fatal US tour boat collision released

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Beware the Supermoon! Wonder What They Will Blame on it This Time?

Posted on by May 3, 2012

This Saturday, we will witness a perigee full moon, often called by the press, a “supermoon.”   The full moon at its perigee, or closest approach to earth, will appear 16% bigger and will exert 42% more tidal force than a more typical full moon.  Usually these “perigean tides” are only an inch or so higher or lower than normal.  Local tidal conditions can amplify the effect, which is still usually no more than a 6″ change in high or low tide.

Biggest Full Moon of the year due this weekend as ‘supermoon’ raises tides around the planet
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Update: Assam Ferry Tragedy – No Clear Death Toll Yet

Posted on by May 2, 2012

In what may prove to be the worst ferry accident in India in recent years, it is still unclear how many passengers were lost when an overcrowded ferry capsized on Monday in the bad weather in the Brahmaputra River in India’s Assam state.  As many as 250 are reported to have have died or are missing, though estimates vary widely. The ferry did not carry life jackets or other safety gear. The ferry, which was reported to be a “double-decked” vessel, appears now to have been a large partially decked boat with a wooden canopy or roof over the passenger area.  Additional passengers apparently also sat on the roof of the vessel. Thanks to Tad Roberts for passing along the photo of a similar vessel.

Assam boat tragedy: Cops fear 250 dead, 100 still missing

Update: Newport-to-Ensenada Racing Tragedy – Did the Aegean Hit the Rocks?

Posted on by June 13, 2012

Initial speculation included an explosion and then a collision with a larger vessel.  Now an online GPS tracking system, SPOT, shows the yacht running onto the rocks on a far end of North Coronado Island at 1:36 a.m. Saturday.  The Coronado Islands are about 15 miles south of San Diego Bay.  The Coast Guard could not confirm the GPS results and says that the investigation is still ongoing.

Yacht deaths: Boat may have hit rocks, not large ship

Groundbreaking for David Warther Carvings – A Master Ship Carver In Amish Ohio

Posted on by May 28, 2012

Niagara

Between Sugarcreek and Walnut Creek, Ohio, in the heart of Amish country,Ohio, there was a ground-breaking today for a new museum which will showcase ship models carved by David Warther II, a fifth generation carver.  David Warther Carvings will showcase Warther’s “History of the Sailing Ship” which follows the development of ships from early Egyptian times to the end of the Age of Sail. Thus far Warther has carved 80 ship models, primarily in legal ivory, purchased from museums and private owners.

David Warther Carvings groundbreaking is Tuesday
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A Proposal on HMS Bounty

Posted on by May 1, 2012

Dr. Roger Clark and fiance Christine Whalen on HMS Bounty Photo: Rhonda Parker

HMS Bounty recently called at St. Augustine, FL.  During a dockside party on the ship, Dr. Roger Clark Smith, a local historian, decided that there would be no better setting to propose marriage to the fair Christine Whalen, who graciously accepted. Our congratulations to the happy couple.  We only hope that a “no mutiny” clause is added to the vows.  Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

Local maritime historian proposes at the helm of the HMS Bounty

Double-Decker Ferry Sinks in Brahmaputra River in North-East India – 200 Dead or Missing

Posted on by April 30, 2012

A double-decker ferry carrying an estimated 350 people capsized, broke apart and sank in the Brahmaputra River in heavy weather.  The ferry was traveling between Dhubri to Fakirganjan in Assam state and was reported to be overloaded with passengers and cargo, and carried no lifeboats or life jackets. The Brahmaputra River is one of the largest in Asia.

India ferry sinking leaves at least 200 missing or dead

Last March, we posted about the death 114 people in a ferry sinking in neighboring Bangladesh

Titanic II ? Unsinkable? Australian Billionaire Clive Palmer Has Big Plans

Posted on by April 30, 2012

Just like this, but not so sinkable

On the heels of the centennial of the sinking of the Titanic, Australian mining billionaire Clive Palmer has announced his plans to build a 21st-century replica of the Titanic and sail it from England to New York accompanied by the Chinese navy by the end of 2016.  And this time, the ship will be unsinkable.  Palmer is quoted as saying, “It is going to be designed so it won’t sink…  It will be designed as a modern ship with all the technology to ensure that doesn’t happen.”  Like the Costa Concordia, perhaps?   I am struck by how similar Palmer’s statement is to the White Star brochure describing the original Titanic and her sister ship the Olympic.  “… these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable.”  

Palmer’s ship, if built, will not be the first Titanic II.  See our previous post: The Name Should Have been a Hint – Titanic II Sinks on Maiden Voyage.

Australia billionaire to launch “unsinkable” Titanic
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3 Dead & 1 Missing in Suspected Collision Between Yacht Aegean and Larger Vessel

Posted on by April 29, 2012

Sometime late Friday night or early Saturdaymorning, near the Coronado Islands, during the 125-mile Newport-to-Ensenada yacht race, something went terribly wrong on the 37′ yacht Aegean, leaving three sailors dead and one missing.  A statement issued this morning by the Newport Ocean Sailing Association, which hosts the race, said,  “An investigation was continuing, but it appeared the damage was not inflicted by an explosion but by a collision with a ship much larger than the 37-foot vessel.”

This is the second ocean racing tragedy in California in the last two weeks.  On April 14, five of eight sailors died when their yacht, Slow Speed Chase, was struck by large waves and ran aground on the Farallon Islands off San Francisco, CA while competing in the Full Crew Farallones Race.

3 crew members die as yacht apparently hits larger vessel 
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Blogging in the Graveyard at Trinity Church – Looking for Lawrence, Talbot & Fulton

Posted on by June 5, 2012

Trinity Church Yard, Northside Photo: R.Spilman

Trinity Church  at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway in Lower Manhattan, is one of the oldest congregations in the state.  Captain William Kidd was a church elder, in the years before he turned pirate. Captain Kidd donated a block and tackle from his ship to help raise the stones of the first church, when it was built in 1698.  The current church is the third built on the spot.

I visited the church and surrounding grave yard yesterday, on a lovely but breezy and cold Friday afternoon, to find the graves of three nautical luminaries – Captain James Lawrence, whose last words, “Don’t Give Up the Ship” have become a popular, if odd, battle cry; Commodre Silas Talbot, best remembered as the second captain of the USS Constitution; and Robert Fulton, the inventor and engineer credited with developing the first commercially successful steamboat.
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